Feinberg meets with Sandy Hook families

Dirk Perrefort

Updated 12:19 am, Saturday, April 13, 2013

Family members of victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting attend a news conference January 14, 2013 in Newtown, Connecticut. Families of victims asked that there be a dialogue to find solutions on how to prevent similar future violence. AFP PHOTO/DON EMMERT (Photo credit should read DON EMMERT/AFP/Getty Images)
Photo: DON EMMERT, AFP/Getty Images

Family members of victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School...

Kenneth Feinberg, a mediator and attorney best known his work as the special master of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund, listens to Timothy Geithner, U.S. treasury secretary, speak following a meeting on executive compensation policies, in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Wednesday, June 10, 2009. Geithner said executive compensation at U.S. companies should be tied more closely to performance and "sound" risk management. Photographer: Joshua Roberts/Bloomberg News
Photo: JOSHUA ROBERTS, ST

NEWTOWN -- Ken Feinberg, a nationally known victims' compensation fund administrator, met Friday with family members of those slain at Sandy Hook Elementary School, responding to their request for "advice and guidance" on how more than $11 million in donations should be distributed, The News-Times has learned.

According to sources with knowledge of the meeting, it was facilitated by Gov. Dannel P. Malloy's office.

Feinberg has administered a number of funds over the years, including the 9/11 victims fund as well as charities established after the 2012 Aurora movie theater shooting and the 2007 shooting at Virginia Tech.

Under the current structure, a five-person board from the foundation is creating distribution committees to gather public input before deciding how the $11 million will be spent.

The meeting with Feinberg comes after calls by the governor's office and families of those slain at the elementary school to have a single administrator become involved.

In the days after the Dec. 14 shooting, Malloy was working behind the scenes and advocating for a single administrator to oversee the distribution of the millions pouring into the community.

At the governor's request, Feinberg wrote a letter to United Way officials on Dec. 18 which was obtained by The News-Times earlier this week, saying that while the organization, "has great credibility and a track record of success in assisting citizens of local communities," it might not be the best vehicle to distribute the money because of possible conflicts with the nonprofit's "ongoing charter and mission."

The governor's office wrote a letter to the United Way on April 2, voicing concerns about the slow process of distributing funds and again calling for an administrator to be brought in.

Several family members who spoke to Hearst Connecticut Newspapers Wednesday on the condition of anonymity said an informal survey conducted more than two weeks ago found that out of 38 families contacted, all but one believe a single administrator should handle the distribution of the money.

Under pressure from both the governor's office and the families, officials with the Newtown-Sandy Hook Community Foundation agreed last week to quickly release $4 million to the families and others affected by the tragedy.

Foundation officials said an interim advancement committee would be announced on Monday that would decide how the $4 million would be divided among the families of the 26 killed, the 12 students who fled the classrooms where the shooting occurred and the two educators who were injured.

At least one family member who attended a private meeting with foundation board members on Thursday, said relatives had more questions than answers about how the money would be distributed and how the figure of $4 million was arrived at.

A relative who declined to be named said foundation officials admitted they may have made a mistake and acted too hastily in announcing the $4 million disbursement before a formula for how the money should be divided had been established.

United Way spokesman Pat Kinney said Friday that the agency was aware of the meeting with Feinberg, and that the Newtown-Sandy Hook Community Foundation is continuing its meetings this week with those most impacted by the shooting, including families of those slain as well as teachers and first responders.

"The more information that can be shared with these groups directly is a good thing, and to the extent that they are talking to other entities, we also think that's a good thing," Kinney said.

He declined to comment on what has been said at the foundation meetings, citing respect for the privacy of the families that attended.